Czechs picking successor to Milos Zeman in presidential vote

PRAGUE (AP) — Czechs have started voting for a new president, with populist billionaire Andrej Babis leading a field of eight candidates in an election to succeed Milos Zeman in the largely ceremonial post. Babis was acquitted this week in a fraud trial. This boosted the former prime minister’s chances of winning in the first round of the presidential election in voting on Friday and Saturday. The top two finishers will face each other in a runoff in two weeks’ time if no candidate achieves a majority. Babis’ two main challengers are retired army Gen. Petr Pavel and former university rector Danuse Nerudova.